ENDERLE, Dotti . It Creeps! Bk. 1. ISBN 978-1-60270-690-3 . LC 2008055335. ea vol: illus. by Howard McWilliam. 80p. (Ghost Detectors Series). CIP. ABDO/Magic Wagon . 2009. PLB $16.95. Gr 2-5 Tech-toy aficionado Malcolm and his sidekick Dandy cruise around their neighborhood attempting to find and neutralize ghosts. Creeps! begins with Malcolm buying the battery-powered "Ecto-Handheld-Automatic-Heat-Sensitive-Laser-Enhanced Specter Detector" from a magazine ad. While it looks more like a blow dryer than a sensitive ghost-hunting instrument, the boys do manage to detect a ghost haunting the old McBleaky Place. In Book 2, they add to their collection of equipment with the matching "Ghost Zapper." Black-and-white illustrations enhance the large-print, easy-to-read texts. Filled with quirky characters such as Malcolm's make-up-caked sister and dotty Grandma Eunice, these early chapter books are sure to delight fans of Dan Greenburg's "Secrets of Dripping Fang" (Harcourt) or Dave Keane's "Joe Sherlock" (HarperCollins) series. Kathleen Meulen Ellison, Sakai Intermediate School, Bainbridge Island, WA

Malcolm obtains a "specter detector" that allows him to see ghosts. Life quickly becomes much more exciting for the budding scientist and his dimmer-bulb best friend Dandy. The stories suffer from stilted dialogue and prefab (if sometimes entertaining) plots. Black-and-white cartoon illustrations and pseudo-scientific diagrams add some verve.